Innovative Treatment for Anxiety, Fears and Phobias in Young Autistic Clients: Integrate Developmental Play-Based Interventions with Gradual Exposure

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Speaker

Karen Levine, PhD Related seminars and products

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Karen Levine, PhD, is a developmental psychologist of 30 years, whose passion for improving the well-being of children who have developmental, social or emotional challenges has been the driving force throughout her career. She incorporates a developmental, relationship-based approach to assessment and treatment, incorporating playfulness and fun into treatment when feasible, as a means of increasing happiness and lowering anxiety and distress. Dr. Levine believes there is not a one size fits all approach to assessment or treatment, and that individual children and families need different kinds of support at different points in their development.

Dr. Levine developed a play-based treatment for children with fears and phobias, integrating the evidenced based behavioral tool of Gradual Exposure within a developmental, relationship-based model. This approach, described in her book, with co-author Naomi Chedd, LMHC, Attacking Anxiety, is currently called Behavior Play Therapy, and is being studied and manualized by Bonnie Klein-Tasman, PhD at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She is a part time lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Karen Levine maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Harvard Medical School. She receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Levine receives grants from Williams Syndrome Association. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Karen Levine has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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Objectives

1. Utilize a new model for treating fears and phobias in children not able to access traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 
2. Assess the child’s affective state (e.g., happy; scared) to guide the therapeutic process up and down the child’s ‘fear ladder’ 
3. Utilize ‘unbundling’ to design accessible steps of gradual exposure that help the child become comfortable with multiple sensory and affective components of their fear 
4. Design individualized, child specific humor and playfulness for use in gradual exposure therapy sessions 

Outline

Unpacking Anxiety, Fears and Phobias in Autistic Children 

• Neurotypical vs neurodivergent children  
• Developmental functions of social engagement, communication and pretend play 
• How the experience of anxiety and phobias impacts social engagement 

Developmental Relationship-Based Interventions with Gradual Exposure to Treat Anxiety, Fears and Phobias in Autistic Children 

Video Examples and Specific How-Tos 

• Create an individualized humor and play-based treatment plan 
• Assess affective state to guide the therapeutic process up and down the child’s ‘fear ladder’  
• Importance of awareness of cultural and individual differences around humor  
• Research supporting this model 
• What if it doesn’t work? Limitations of this model 

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Education professionals
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Psychologist
• Physicians
• Physical Therapists
• Speech-Language Therapists
• Social Workers